comment, and
by and by two tumblers containing iced liquid were brought in. Jernyngham
drained his thirstily and looked up with a grin.

"It isn't exhilarating, but it's cool," he said. "Now, however, you're
curious about my honorable scars--I got them from a bottle. It broke, you
see, but there's some satisfaction in remembering that I knocked out the
other fellow with the flat of the Immortal William's sword."

"You'll get worse hurt some day," Prescott rebuked him severely.

"It's possible, but you're wandering from the point. I'm trying to
remember what led me into the fray in the incongruous company of certain
Hardshell Baptists, Ontario Methodists, and Belfast Presbyterians. As a
young man, my sympathies were with the advanced Anglicans, perhaps
because my people were sternly Evangelical. Then the whole thing's
unreasonable--what have I to do, for instance, with the Protestant
succession?"

"It isn't very plain," said Prescott. "Still, everybody knows what kind
of fool you are."

"I live," declared Jernyngham. "You steady, industrious fellows grow. The
row began at the ball-game--disputed base, I think--and our lot had got
badly whipped at the first round when I stood on the veranda and sang
them, 'No Surrender.' That was enough for the Ulster boys, and three or
four of them go a long way in this kind of scrimmage."

Prescott had no sympathy with Jernyngham's vagaries, but one could not be
angry with him: the man was irresponsible. In a few moments, however,
Jernyngham's face grew graver.

"Jack," he resumed, "I'm in a hole. Never troubled to ask for my letters
until late in the afternoon, and now I don't know what to do unless you
can help me."

"You had better tell me what the trouble is."

"To make you understand, I'll have to go back some time. Everybody round
this place knows what I am now, but I believe I was rather a promising
youngster before I left the old country, a bit of a rebel though, and
inclined to kick against the ultra-conventional. In fact, I think honesty
was my ruin, Jack; I kicked openly."

"Is there any other way? I can't see that there's much use in kicking
unless the opposition feels it."

"Don't interrupt," scowled Jernyngham. "This is rather deep for you, but
I'll try to explain. If you want to get on in the old country, you must
conform to the standard; though you can do what you like at times and
places where people of your proper circle aren't supposed to see you. I
didn